Most of us serve eggnog at Christmas because it’s part of the traditional meal we are used to every year. And for some reason, there always seems to be this love-hate relationship with the nutmeg-spiced cream. It tends to have a strong flavor, mostly of eggs and less of spicy goodness. Half of dinner guests love it and the other half hate it.

Chef Jason Lage of Lovettsville’s widely-recognized destination restaurant, Market Table Bistro, could change any eggnog disbeliever’s mind about the comforting drink, and make any eggnog lover more addicted than ever.

“One of the really cool things about eggnog is that you can take it in any direction you want to,” Lage says. “I add fresh ginger and serve it chilled.”

His house-made eggnog is nothing but creamy goodness, almost like drinking an ice cream that hasn’t yet been churned. And at the farm-totable bistro – housed in a large, restored country home on Lovettsville’s East Broad Way – Lage prepares the fresh ginger and nutmeg milk spiked with Southern Comfort. Last Friday, it was the drink of the night with diners at Market Table.

“Often, eggnog you find at the store is not thickened with real eggs like it’s supposed to be,” Lage says. “We cook ours like a creme anglaise, unlike eggnog thickened with xantham gum.”

Lage was kind enough to share the recipe with me. If you need to be convinced to mix up a batch, I would urge you to try Lage’s at Market Table. If eggnog isn’t part of your Christmas dinner tradition, it will be after your first sip.